An analysis of the character of the grandmother in a worn path by eudora welty

The nurse calls her Aunt Phoenix. Symbolism Phoenix The phoenix is a bird that flies great distances to help people, by healing them with its tears. For example, she mistakes a scarecrow for a dancing "ghost" until she draws close enough to touch its empty sleeve. Likewise, Phoenix also travels through many perils, despite her age, to get the medicine for her grandson.

She did not give up when the thorn bush caught her skirt, or when she was nearly killed by a dog, or when she had to crawl under a barb wired fence; she kept going. A particularly tense episode occurs when she encounters a white hunter who appears friendly at first, but then makes a condescending suggestion that she is probably "going to town to see Santa Claus.

This bird is known to live for a thousand years, after which it flies to the sun city of Heliopolis, to burn to ashes and be reborn. They exchange brief words, and he thinks she is going into town to see Santa Claus.

The pedestrian lady and the clinic attendant call her grandma. The nurse enters and explains to the attendant, who the old lady is and why she is here. She waits briefly on the sidewalk. Big dead trees The words, "Big dead trees, like black men with one arm, were standing in the purple stalks of the withered cotton field.

By this time, she realizes that afternoon has already arrived. The marble cake This can be likened to all the vows and commitments made to black people at the time, regarding equal rights and freedom, which never saw the light of day.

Phoenix thanks them, rises, and begins to leave. An allegorical story that depicts differential treatment, and a love that knows no boundaries, it is truly touching. The lines, "He wear a little patch quilt and peep out holding his mouth open like a little bird.

Deceptively simple in tone and scope, the story is structured upon a journey motif that incorporates a rich texture of symbolic meaning. Her age or nearsightedness did not deter her.

The Hunter The hunter rescues Phoenix from the ditch, as she is unable to get out herself. Christian symbolism is also apparent in the narrative.

Soon, a hunter comes along and pulls her out. Since she cannot read, she needs to rely on her memory. The Pedestrian Woman This woman helps Phoenix by tying her shoelaces for her. However, nobody talks to her disrespectfully or insultingly. The reader realizes that all she went through, she did out of affection for her grandson.

His assumption that black folks will do anything to see Santa Claus is also a reference to the mindset of white people towards black people at that time. It teaches the power of selfless love, and also that there are people in the world who make sacrifices for those that they care about. The sentence says " She crawls through it carefully, so as not to get injured.

Her last line explains why she collects the two nickels; she wants to buy her grandson a pinwheel for Christmas.

Summary and Analysis A Worn Path, by Eudora Welty, is a story of a fierce old woman, and of a love that knows no bounds. The town is alive with the spirit of Christmas. Because the story is completely free of authorial intrusion or explanatory commentary, the images and events that occur in the narrative remain open to a variety of reader interpretations.A Worn Path by Eudora Welty.

Home / Literature / A Worn Path / Analysis ; A Worn Path Analysis Literary Devices in A Worn Path. Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory. Come on, people. This story is about a grandmother. The only love here is the maternal love of a gram for her grandson. Nothing steamy going on here at all. On a cold December day, an elderly woman named Phoenix Jackson makes her way along a remote path, narrating the journey to herself as she goes.

She traverses. A Worn Path, by Eudora Welty, is a story of a fierce old woman, and of a love that knows no bounds. This Penlighten article provides a summary and analysis of this moving story.

The following entry presents criticism on Welty's short story "A Worn Path," first published in The Atlantic Monthly in Februaryand later in A Curtain of Green, See also Eudora Welty Short Story Criticism.

"A Worn Path" is considered one of Welty's most distinguished and frequently studied works of short fiction. Analysis of a short story “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty.

Lit.1 Characters: Phoenix Jackson: Is the protagonist of the story. Lit.1 Characters: Phoenix Jackson: Is the protagonist of the story. Need help on characters in Eudora Welty's A Worn Path? Check out our detailed character descriptions.